Glass-tube spinning and drawing apparatus



June 12, 1923.

,L,. N. BRUNER ET AL GLAss TUBE SPINNING AND DRAWING APPARATUS FiledJune 9, 1920 ,.I qw m, n 2 n mea.` 0 2 /m n? n 3 l@ W I {Uk mwa A A wf mm 5 lm n u W smY .MME m lfm Patented June 12, 1923.

NTED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS N. BRUNER, or NEW YORK, AND sIMoN D. oLsEN, or BaooxLYN, NEW YORK.

GLASS-TUBE SPINNING AND DRAWING APPARATUS.

Appiication filed .Tune 9, 1920. Serial No. 387,638.

To all t may concern:-

Be it known that we, Louis N. BRUNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, and SIMON D. ULsEN, a subject of the King of Norway, re. sidin atBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Glass- Tube Spinningr and DrawingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus and processes for making glasstubes, and has or its object to provide an improved apparatus andprocess whereby glass tubes of uniform bore may be easily and quicklymade by machine without requiring skilled labor.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds;and whie herein minute details of the invention are described, theinvention is not limited to these, since many and various changes may bemade without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, showing by way of example one of manypossible embodiments of the invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 -is a front elevation of the same;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmental vertical central sectional views showingsteps in the i earlier stages of the process, and

Fig. 5 is fragmental front elevation showing a step in the final stagesof the process.

Our improved apparatus is shown mounted on a base carrying thereon. astandard 11 comprising a base web 12, side anges 13, and a front web 14,the latter provided with upper and lower bearing brackets 16 and 17having upper and lower alined openin s.

gA bearing bushing 20 is fast in and projects below said upper bracket16 and carries rotatably disposed therein a sleeve spindle l21 providedbetween the brackets with a key seat carrying a key 22. Above the upperbracket said spindle is provided with a bearing anrre 24 resting on theupper .bracket and with a threaded reduced upper end 25 carryin acup-shaped mold 26 having a lower t readed opening received on saidreduced end 25.

. A drive pulley 30 is loosely mounted on said bushing 20 and providedwith a female clutch cone 31 receiving a male cone 32 provided with ahub 33 slidable on said spindle and provided with an annular clutchgroove 35 and with a key-way receiving said key 22, whereby said sleevespindle is constrained to rotate with the female cone 32.

A yoke lever 36 is fulcrumed on said front web 14 and provided with ahandle 37 at its free end, and intermediately with a shift device (notshown) engaging in said groove 35.

A draw rod 40 slidably passing through said sleeve spindle is providedwith a nut 41 on its lower end for limiting its upward movement, and hasits upper end provided with a convexed lower draw-head 42 slidable insaid mold.

A cap 43 on said mold is provided with a central opening and with adownwardly and inwardly turned bearing and lockin flange 45, the latterengageable with an partl under ball-bearings 46l retained in radiaball-seats 47 in the lupper edge ofy the mold and retained in placeby'retain ing screws 48 (Fig. 3). When the mold is rotated, centrifugalforce holds the balls 46 in locking engagement with the inturned loweredge of the ange 45, but 'releases it as soon as the mold ceases torotate.

A traveling draw-head 50 engageable in the upper end of the mold andhaving a lower convexed face is provided with a threaded stem 51 passingthrough said central opening and receiving avheaded sleeve 52 looselyreceived in a lar e opening of an exterior threaded cup-soc et 55 havinits bottom engaging under the head `56 o said sleeve. The head 50, stem51 and sleeve 52 are provided with an axial vent 57 for the passage ofexpanding and contractin air during operation of the device. guide block58 formed with a cenltral cavity 59 has a threaded lower part receivinsaid .cup-socket and an upwardly exten ed part 60 havlng a passage 61therein.

A pair of vertical supports 62 secured against said side anges 13,receive and ide therebetween the rear part of sa1d glbck 58; yand guides63 n the inner face of said vsupports engagefthe rear face of saidblock. 5'

A cylinder 65 resting on said base web 12 between said side flanges 13having an upper head 66 and lower head 67 receives a piston 68 providedwith a piston rod 69 passing out through said upper head 66 and cairyinga traveling pulley 70 on its upper en A pulley shaft 73 between upperends of said supports 62 carries a main pulley 74 thereon; and a cable75 or other flexible means .has its lower end knotted as at 76 andpassed through said passage 61 and its upper part passed over said mainpulley 74, under said traveling pulley 70 and secured to a cross bar 77fast below said main pulley.

A four-way valve 80 fed by a pressure feed pipe 81 leading theretodirects pressure medium t`o either of the branch pipes 82 or 83 leadingfrom said valve to opposite ends of the cylinder; and a control rod 84controls said valve whereby said pressure medium can be at vwilldirected to either end of the cylinder thereby to reciprocate the pistonand raise or lower said traveling head 50 and blgck 58. The handle 85 onsaid control rod is conveniently disposed near and over'saidhandle 37 ofthe yoke lever.

The operation of the deviceis very simple. Pressure medium is directedto the upper end of the cylinder thereby raising the upper draw-head 50,and the 'cap 43 after which the draw-heads 42 and 50, which are ofsteel, are heated, as by blow torch or hot glass sutliciently to makethe glassstick as in Fig. 1. The mold itself is made of cast iron andremains relatively cool so the glass will not stick. A charge 88 ofmolten glass is then poured into the 'rotatable mold 26 until the moldis about half full (Fig. 3). By manipulating the handles and 37 thedraw-head is then lowered and the cone 32 raised, thereby closing androtating said mold and locking the cap in place with the charge in themold; thereby centrifugally to form a glass cylinder 89 (Fig. ,4) closedat the lower end 90 open at the upper end 90 and enclosing an air-space91 there-in. Next the cone 32 is lowered, the cylinder thereby broughtto rest, and the cap 43 thereby unlocked. Pressure medium is then againdirected to the upper part oi the cylinder 65, thereby drawing upwardlysaid heads 50 and 42 and said ends 90 and 90 apart thereby to elongatesaid cylinder 89 and to reduce its diameter; thereby producing a tube"92 (Fig. 5) with a closed lower end 93. A slight cooling of the tube andthe cutting oit of its ends then completes the tube.

We claim as our invention:

l. In combination, a rotatable mold; a draw head in each endv of themold; and means for moving the draw heads apart.

2. In combination, a rotatable mold; a draw head normally in one end ofthe mold and slidable in the mold; a traveling draw mounted in the upperend of the mold; and

means for raising and lowering the traveling draw head.

4. In combination. a rotatable sleeve spindle; a clutch controlling therotation of said spindle and comprising a manual shift means; a mold on'the upper end thereof; a rod passing through said spindle; a lower drawhead on the rod and slidable in the mold; a traveling draw headrotatably mounted in the upper end of the mold; and means for raisingand lowering the traveling draw head and comprising, a manual controlmeans near said shift means.

5. In combination; a standard; a sleeve spindle rotatably mountedthereon; a drive pulley; a clutch interposed between said pulley andsleeve a mold mounted on the upper end of the spindle; a draw rodpassing through said spindle; a lower draw head on the upper end of saidrod and slidable in said mold; a cap rotatably mounted on the upper endof the mold; a traveling draw head mounted on said cap and in the upperend of the mold; supports mounted on .said standard; a vcylinder on saidstandard between said supports and having a piston and piston rod; apulley on said supports; a flexible means passing from said piston rodover said pulley to said cap; and means for directing pressured mediumto either e'nd of the piston.

6. In combination, a standard thereon comprising upper and lower bearingbrackets having upper and lower alined openings; a bearing bushing fastin and projecting below said upper brackets; a sleeve spindle rotatablydisposed in said bushing and lower opening and provided between thebrackets with a key seat; a key in'said seat; a drive pulley looselymounted on said bushing and provided with a female clutch cone; a malecone received in said female cone and provided with a hub slidable onsaid spindle and provided with an annular clutch groove and with akey-way receiving said key; a yoke lever ulcrumed on said front web andprovided with a handle at its free end, and

intermediately withA a shift device engaging in said groove; a mold onthe upper end of thev sleeve spindle; a rod passing through saidspindle; a lower draw head on the rod and slidable in the mold; and atraveling l end; a convex lower draw head on the upper end of the rodand fitting and slidable in said mold; a traveling draw head rotatablymounted in the upper end of the mold; and means for raising and loweringthe traveling draw head.

f8. In combination, a rotatable s/leeve spindle; a cup-shaped moldmounted on the upper end of said spindle, and having radial bearingseats at its upper edge; a draw rod passing through said sleeve spindle;a conveXed lower draw head on the upper end of the rod and slidable insaid mold; ball bearings retained in said seats; a cap on said mold andprovided with a central opening, and with a downwardly and inwardlyturned bearing flange engageable with and locking under said ballbearings; a traveling draw head engageable in the .upper end of the moldand having a lower conveXed face and' provided with a threaded stempassing through said central opening; and means for raising and loweringthe cap.

9. In combination, a rotatable sleeve spindle; a mold on the upper endthereof; a rod passing through said spindle; a lower draw head on therod and slidable in the mold; a traveling draw head engageable in theupper end of the mold and having a lower conveXed face and provided witha threaded stem passing through said central opening; a headed sleevereceived on said stem; an exteriorly threaded cup-socket having itsbottomengagin under the head of said sleeve and provided with a largeopening loosely receiving the sleeve; a guide block formed with acentral cavity having a threaded lower part receiving said cavity, andan `upwardly extended part having a passage therein; a pair of verticalsupports between which the rear part of said block is received; andexible means for raising and lowering the traveling draw head andpassing through said passage and knotted.

l0. In combination, a rotatable spindle; a manual shift lever having ahandle for controlling the rotation of said spindle; a mold on the upperend thereof; a lower draw head in .the mold; a traveling draw headrotatably mounted in the upper end of the mold; a cylinder having apiston and piston rod; a flexible means passing from said piston rod tosaid traveling draw head; a fourway valve; a pressure feed pipe leadingthereto; branch pipes leading from said valve to opposite ends of thecylinder; a control rod for said valve whereby pressure medium can bedirected to either end of the cylinder thereby to reciprocate the pistonand raise the lower said traveling head; and a handle on said controlrod and disposed over said handle of the shift lever.

11. In combination, a mold; a cap rotatably mounted on the upper end of.the mold; centrifugally operated means for locking the cap on the moldwhen the cap and mold are rotated; a travelling draw head attached tosaid cap and in the upper end of the mold;

and means for raising and lowering the cap' and travelling draw cad.

LOUIS N. BRUNER. SIMON D. OLSEN.

Witnesses:`

H. M. KILrA'rRIoK, H. D. PENNEY.

